The 2nd T20I between India and Sri Lanka has been postponed after Team India all-rounder Krunal Pandya testes positive for COVID-19. The match was scheduled to take place later today (July 27) at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Instead, the match will now be played on July 28 (Wednesday) at the same venue while the third T20I will be played the next day on Thursday. BCCI confirmed the same in a statement. It read:
“The second T20I between Sri Lanka and India originally scheduled to be played on July 27 has been pushed forward by a day and will now take place on Wednesday, July 28.”
Eight cricketers who came in close contact with Krunal Pandya have been isolated. The positive result is understood to have emerged on Tuesday morning, following the latest round of tests for the Indian traveling group.
Today’s T20 postponed as an Indian player has tested positive for COVID. Several players isolated and another PCR will be done. Game postponed for Wednesday.
— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) July 27, 2021
The development is also set to impact the plans for Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who are due to travel to England for the upcoming five-match Test series. While the schedule will end on time, the return of the entire Indian contingent is likely to get delayed.
Meanwhile, the organisers will be under the spotlight after Krunal Pandya tests positive as the series was played behind closed doors and with cricketers staying in a bio-bubble.
So far, India are leading the three-match series 1-0 after an emphatic 38-run win in the opening game on July 25 (Sunday). Batting first, they banked on Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant half-century to post 164 runs on the board before Bhuvneswar Kumar ran down the Lankan batting order with a four-wicket haul.
Meanwhile, the ODI series between India and Sri Lanka was deferred due to Covid-19 cases in the home team’s camp. Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower and data analyst G T Niroshan had tested positive for the virus upon their return from England tour.
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